‘Afghan women in Pakistan in safe hands’

ISLAMABAD: Commending Pakistan for its generosity in hosting millions of Afghan refugees for more than 40 years, Sheikha Jawaher Bint Muhammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), expressed her confidence in a gathering of women that they were in “safe hands.” Addressing a group of trainees at the Women Welfare and Development Centre (WWDC) during her six-day visit of Pakistan that has just concluded, she told the women from Afghanistan that while in Pakistan, they are in safe hands. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) royal had meeting here with 350 young women, including Afghan refugees as they are undergoing training for embroidery skills in Islamabad. The UAE ambassador in Islamabad Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi also had meeting with the distinguished Royal lady. According to the UAE embassy in Islamabad Sheikha Jawaher – who is also a UNHCR Eminent Advocate – attended the International Conference on Afghan Refugees in Islamabad during her stay in federal capital which was held to mark 40 years since Pakistan first began hosting its displaced neighbours from the war-torn country. The high-profile conference was organised by Pakistan and the UNHCR. At the WWDC, Sheikha Jawaher admired the talent and expertise of the trainees, praising the artisanal value of the projects they had created. “She also called for greater access and new market opportunities for such products and urged governments and civil society organisations to prioritise the education of members of low-income and crisis-affected communities,” the statement said. Later, she attended a signing-in ceremony for a livelihood project in Pakistan which seeks to “benefit 100 Afghan and Pakistani women residing in Quetta, Balochistan.” Pakistan is host to the world’s second-largest number of refugees with more than two million Afghans residing in the country for the past 40 years.